Rear-axle housing



R.y HUFF.` .REAR AXLE HOUSING. APPLICATIQN `FILED NOV, l. 1920.

Patented Mar. 28, E922.

toa A l fasse/ v @3,3 @Mic/meg l treuren stares RUSSELL v l HUFF, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIG-NOR T0 DODGE BROTHERS, 0F

DETROT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OI MlCEGA-.N.

Lerares.

nEAn-AXLE HOUSING.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Rial'. 2S, 1922..

Application led November 1, 1920. Serial No. 420,878.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, RUSSELL HUrr, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Detroit, Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rear-Axle Housings, ot which the 'following is a clear, full, and exact description.

My invention relates to axle housings tor motor vehicles and a general object ot thc invention is to simplify the construction and facilitate the manufacture ot axle housings of the general type such as that shown and described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1.209,- 134 to J. F. and H. E. Dodge granted December 19, 1916, and such as that shown and described in the U. S. application of Russell Hua No. 370,703, sied April 2, 1920.

Both in the construction of the patent and in the construction shown in the application,

the axle housing is formed of sheet metal whose rigidity is increased by the provision ot cylindrical reinforcing tubes inserted into the ends of the housing. With the present construction, however, it has been found that by making the sheet metal stampings of the vhousing suiticiently heavy, the additional strength aiTorded by the tubes of the prior constructions is not required.

ln the construction shown in the application above referred to, the inserted tubes not only lent additional strength to the structure, but also performed the additional fuuction of preventing lubricant in the central enlargement of the housing which contains the gears, from owing towards the outer ends of the housing and leaking out, sometimes causing trouble by getting on to the brake shoes.

In the present invention the function of preventing oil in the gear chamber from running along the bottom ot' the housing to the ends thereof, is very eli'ectively accomplished by means of baille plates which are made of comparatively light material so that vthe whole structure can be manufactured with greater readiness, and with the same weight of metal as used in the old form of housing a strength of approximately 50% greater may be obtained.

Various features and advantages in addition to those enumerated will be apparent from the following detailed description and claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved axle housing.

Fig. 2 is a section on the vline 2-2 of Fig. 1.

` Fig. 3 a part sectional and part plan view. Referring to the drawings, the housing is composed of an upper sheet metal stan'iping 1, and a lower sheet metal stamping 9., both similar in shape, said stampings being united by welding on a horizontal plano pass-:ing through the geometrical centre ot the housing. The housing is made ot' metal havin suthcient weight so that no reinforcements of any kind are required. In order, however, to prevent oil which is used in the central chamber to lubricate the ditlierential mechanism located therein, 'from tlowing along the bottom ot the housing to the ends thereot1 where it may cause trouble, I provide baffle plates 3, which extend below the horizontal median line ot the housing, which plates are concave in shape, the concavitwv being on the upperside so that when the axle is inserted in the housing the battle plates will conform somewhat to the shape of the axle. The housing comprises a central enlargement 4 and tapering cylindrical ends 5, and the battle plates are spot-welded or otherwise suitably fastened to the cylindrical ends of the housing, and said battle plates extend substantially to thc central cnlargernent of the housing as indicated at 6, Figs. 1 and 3. From the position of .the parts shown in Fig, 1, it will be seen that the battle plate at the right is in contact with the lower cylindrical wall ot the housing up to about the position indicated by the letter A. Any lubricant, therefore, in the chamber formed by the central enlargement off the housing, which is below the level ot the end of the batlie plate at 6 cannot flow along the bottom ot the chamber towards the ends thereof, and by reason ot the fact that the baille plates extend substantially to the gear chamber a considerable inclination of the axle ot the vehicle with respect to the horizontal may be permitted Without any tlow of oil inside the battle plates. U

It is, of course, understood that lvariations may be resorted to within the scope ot my invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An axle housing comprising a sheet metal casing of suiiiciently heavy material CIK lOl)

to require no reenforcenient, said casing havin@i ay central enlzn'ofeni'ent and c! 7lindrieal light material' secured to the end portions onlyof the casing and extending subst-antially to the central enlargement thereof,

said bailie plates having their greater. port-ionoccupying4 a( position'lbeloi'v the 'median line of the housing whereby any lubricant Whose level in the Central enlargement is belo'7 that of the inner ends ot said plates is' prevented from iiowng along the bottoni o-- said housing to the ends thereof;V

Signed at Detroit7 Michigan, this 13th d ay oi October, 1920.

RUSSELL Hurr.

I lVitnesses:

WM, E. SHOEMAKER, l J. R. FURSE. 

